Sustainable development of rural communities with technology
Re-engaging communities through technology
Macra na Feirme is a voluntary organisation representing a thriving community of 10,000 young people from rural Ireland. Macra advocate for, nurture and develop membership for people aged between 17 and 35 in a fun, inclusive and supportive environment. Programmes and activities encourage young people to play an active role in their local community, making rural Ireland an attractive place to live and work.
The mission of Macra na Feirme is to contribute to the sustainable development of rural communities in Ireland by: supporting the social, economic, cultural, personal development and well-being of young people who have a rural connection, including young farmers. And by representing their interests in the development and implementation of relevant policies, products, programs and services at national, regional and local levels and by advocating on their behalf.
Solution
We have conducted detailed research with problem framing, stakeholder mapping, interviews, usability testing to create Persona & Scenario documentation. These were feeding into the company’s go-to-market strategy and enabling relevant value propositions towards the different groups of users.
Based on the insights gathered, we have designed a template site on the Shopify platform, and working with the Marca team across several milestone meetings to finalise the websites with the iterative approach of agile.
We took time to train the Macra team to be self-sufficient when it came to handing over the Shopify back-end.
We created a page/content list that the client worked on in advance based on the research findings. This ensured the go-live process was as seamless as possible.
Outcome
Over the course of the first month the Macra website recorded hundreds of sales of memberships hitting revenue in excess of five figures. Analytics showed high conversion rates from first time visitors, meaning the site was designed and executed very well resulting in Members being easily able to find what they were looking for, and then converting without any issues.
The Zoosh team took the time to undergo extensive research into the understanding of our organisation and the numerous stakeholders our new website needed to cater for.
Denis Duggan
CEO, Macra na Feirme
